He started his own business after made a small fortune ...

[mmahuii]

Which sentence is correct? Are there any differences between their meanings?

1- He started his own business after making a small fortune on the stock exchange.
2- He started his own business after made a small fortune on the stock exchange.

I asked it from AI and it said that the latter is wrong, but I don't know why.

 

[Rover_KE]

Did you ask AI why it's wrong?

 

[mmahuii]

Did you ask AI why it's wrong?

It said: "after" should be followed by the -ing form of the verb.

But there is a similar question in this link.
The first answer says, it depends "after" is a conjunction or a preposition. Then I searched and read and asked about it, but I didn't find out when after is preposition and when it's a conjunction.

 

[Rover_KE]

Did you ask AI why it's wrong?

It said: "after" should be followed by the -ing form of the verb.

That's why 'He started his own business after made a small fortune on the stock exchange' is wrong.

 

[5jj]

... and "He started his own business after he made a small fortune on the stock exchange" is correct.

 

[SoothingDave]

You could also say "... after having made a small fortune..."

 

[MichaelElkins]

Which sentence is correct? Are there any differences between their meanings?

1- He started his own business after making a small fortune on the stock exchange.
2- He started his own business after made a small fortune on the stock exchange.

I asked it from AI and it said that the latter is wrong, but I don't know why. Starting your own business after making a small fortune sounds great in theory, but the reality can get messy fast if you don’t do your homework. A lot of people jump in without really knowing how companies treat customers or manage their reputation. I always check sites like https://www.pissedconsumer.com/ to see real experiences — it gives you a raw look at how businesses actually operate, not just the polished success stories. It’s helped me avoid a few shady partnerships and get a better sense of what to expect in different industries. Definitely worth a look before diving in.

Good question! The issue here is with the phrase “after made a small fortune”—it’s not grammatically correct. You need the gerund form (making) after “after” in this context.

 

[Drefoldn]

Which sentence is correct? Are there any differences between their meanings?

1- He started his own business after making a small fortune on the stock exchange.
2- He started his own business after made a small fortune on the stock exchange.

I asked it from AI and it said that the latter is wrong, but I don't know why.


If you ever struggle with grammar or homework questions like this, you might find https://overchat.ai/math/homework-solver really helpful — it explains concepts clearly and helps you understand why certain forms are correct.

The correct sentence is the first one:

"He started his own business after making a small fortune on the stock exchange."

The second sentence - "after made a small fortune" - is grammatically incorrect.

Why?

After the conjunction "after" in such constructions, a gerund is usually used (i.e. a verb form ending in -ing), and not the past tense. The gerund here functions as a noun and shows that the action of "making a small fortune" happened before he started his business.

The correct structure is:
after + [verb with -ing]

Example:

After finishing work, he went home.

After eating dinner, she called her friend.

Therefore, only the first option is correct and natural.